Only You
by MelodicMadness
Summary: Aster never looked at Richter and saw a half-elf; he only saw his best friend. RichterAster friendship.


A/N: I may be writing my own version of Aster here, but is he not supposed to be similar to Emil (perhaps with more assertion)? Whatever he was like, we know that he and Richter were best friends (and you know that they totally loved each other). Ahem, anyway… I can at least write off of that friendship. Oh, and does Aster have a last name? I can't seem to recall one.

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. I only own my lame-ass assumptions on Aster's personality, and even then I'm just working off of Emil (shame).

Xxxx

Only You

Xxxx

"Look, another _half-elf_," they would point out.

"How did he ever get a job here?" others would question.

"Watch out for him," everyone would warn.

For his brief amount of years in the research lab of Sybak, Richter Abend constantly faced people unable to accept the fact that he was different from them. The many lab workers still had it drilled into their brains that the half-elves should only be allowed to work strenuous hours in the basement with little pay.

Sybak changed, but they did not.

However, they could not protest against his significant discoveries in his research. He recovered information about Ratatosk and the demon realm that most of the world had overlooked. Only he had ventured into the forgotten past of the Centurions— he and one other oddball.

Stumbling into the lab with a concerned look on his face, Aster ran up to Richter before saying, nearly shouting. "I lost the papers!"

Richter, who had been arranging the room out of boredom, chuckled when he glanced at Aster's worried expression. "You didn't lose them."

"I… didn't?" Aster's eyebrows lowered as they now twisted in thought. "But I can't find them. Of course I lost them."

"I just put them over there yesterday," Richter informed, pointing with his gloved finger in a corner of the room. His amusement continued when Aster palmed himself in the face out of disbelief. "I… probably should have informed you."

Sending a slight irritated look at Richter (though he could never be angry), Aster quickly brought his body to the corner to which Richter referred and lifted up a pile of papers about one inch thick, sighing with great relief as he returned to his friend. "I'm so glad—they would have had my head."

"But you're the smartest one here. They can't get mad at you," Richter half said, half joked.

Blushing slightly from the somewhat comment, Aster rubbed the back of his head as he replied. "Well, you'd be surprised…"

A sound resonated from the entrance of the room and both males looked at the door. A short, rather pudgy man with an off-white lab coat waddled into the room after rudely throwing the door open. He stood with his arms crossed, studying Aster with black, angry eyes. He began his rant with, "Aster, I expected more from you! You were supposed to be at the meeting twenty-five minutes ago! We've all been waiting for you and your supposedly important research papers. Just because you're all that doesn't mean you can run about dawdling and neglecting your duties while the rest of us slobber at your feet! This is the last time you do something like this or else I'll convince the president to fire you!"

He fumed, his face turning redder after every sentence. Aster looked down at the floor with hurt in his eyes. "I-I'm sorry… I just forgot…"

"Forgot?! You can't forget important things like this! I bet if you weren't hanging around with this _half-breed_ then you'd have remembered. I swear, the both of you…"

With his last words, the man that reminded both Aster and Richter of a bulldog dragged his inflamed limbs out of the lab, slamming the door behind him with infuriation. Both researchers remained quiet for a few moments before Aster spoke, his voice quivering. "I-I'm sorry, Richter… this is all my fault."

Richter blinked and pulled himself out of his daze. "What? Oh… it's okay." He scowled and looked to the side. He had never heard 'half-breed' before.

"Richter…" Aster's eyes saddened. He could feel the distress radiating from his friend. He slowly reached his hand out to touch his companion's arm, his fingers twitching ever so slightly once in contact with the lab coat. The redhead lowered his head even more as his eyebrows furrowed, his urge to tear the pigheaded man in two growing. He could feel the blonde's soft eyes watching him with great concern, but he did not want to face him with angry tears threatening to swell up in his eyes. Thinking of what to say, Aster began throwing out whatever occurred to him.

"Please ignore him. He… he's just jealous, so he's trying to point out anything _he _thinks is wrong with you. He's always trying to make himself feel better by yelling at others. Don't feel offended by it." The boy wanted to say more, but the right words would not conjure up in his mouth.

His efforts to cheer Richter up helped somewhat, for Richter unclenched his trembling fists and slowly turned to gaze up at Aster. "But… I have just never heard something like that before… A half-breed? It makes me sound like some kind of filthy, disowned mutt," he protested.

Sighing, Aster continued, "You're nothing of the sort. You're a wonderful person, and far from a mutt. And who cares what he says? In fact, who cares what anyone says? Half-elf, half-breed… Whatever. You're you, Richter. And you're the greatest friend I've ever had—the greatest friend _anyone_ could ever have. If anyone wants to title you with a name, then they damn well better choose "best person ever."

Speechless, Richter finally lifted his head to look at the younger researcher's pouting face. In his whole existence, no one had ever said such heartfelt words to him. Aster uttered each sentence with every single bit of truth that was hiding in his heart, and Richter could feel that kindness. A minuscule smile pulled at the corner of his lips while the redhead muttered, "Thanks."

Inaudible to Aster, he asked, "What was that?"

Reaching his arms out and pulling him close to him, Richter had embraced the shorter male and repeated "Thanks, Aster. It shouldn't matter to me what other people say."

The blonde remained in place, hesitating to reach out his hands, but finally placing them on Richter's back. Before he could say anything, Richter continued, now speaking into his friend's shoulder, "You're the greatest friend anyone could ever have, too." And in his mind, he added _You're such an amazing individual, too._

Aster's face was blessed with a smile as he held Richter even closer, savoring the moment the two had, and he did not want to ruin it by talking. Instead, the two remained huddled together for a while, both adventurers of the Centurion's cores, both the most brilliant researchers in town, both harassed for their brilliance, both outcasts of the city, but most importantly… both the only people that the other ever needed.

Xxxx

A/N: Yeah, yeah, I know. It's cheesy. But, it's still cute, right? Please review. I'd really, really appreciate it.

Oh, and excuse any typos… I still need to someone to beta it later.


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